Imbibery: Thank You For Smoking
This time of year, the smell of smoke usually signals a summertime barbecue. But Clio bar wizard Todd Maul takes the scent in a different direction for his Spring in the Afternoon cocktail. It starts with Brugal white rum flash-infused with fava bean leaves, which is mixed with fresh lemon juice, grapefruit bitters, and Champagne. Flash infusing rum with fava leaves? Genius. But then there’s the presentation. Maul lights a piece of a blackened, dehydrated lime with a cigar lighter and inverts a rocks glass over it so the smoke coats the inside of the glass. The cocktail is then served with a single huge ice cube, which keeps the drink from getting watered-down, and garnished with a bright green fava bean leaf. Each sip is slightly tart, with a slight grassiness from the fava bean leaves and a lingering smoky note. It’s an unexpected, sophisticated twist on the usual citrusy summer beverage. Drinkers be warned: Though it tastes light and refreshing, it still packs one hell of a wallop.
Clio, 370A Commonwealth Ave., Boston, 617-536-7200, cliorestaurant.com.